Men’s golf previews conference championship

The Maverick Men’s Golf team looks to head to Blue Springs, Missouri to get a taste of the NSIC Championship course Monday. Every year, the NSIC hosts two tournaments for the men’s golfers to showcase their talents. First, the men’s team will play in the NSIC Preview Monday and then they will return April 21 for the NSIC Championship.

This year, the two tournaments will be held at Adams Pointe Golf Club. The preview is for teams to gain a feel for the course and the second is for the teams to hone in on their skills with a chance to win the conference. Luckily for the Mavericks, these tournaments were on the same course last year and the majority of the Mavericks have a fair share of experience with it. 

Along with that experience, coach Alex Schmitz played the course when he was younger and is able to share a vast amount of knowledge about the course with the team. Throughout the week, Schmitz and the team have been going over yardage books, green reading material and setting out a game plan for how to achieve their best possibilities at success. 

“We develop game plans just like any other sport does,” said Schmitz. “Basketball has an inbound play and football has a kickoff. In golf, it can be the same but also a little different. It’s all about managing the course and putting yourself in a position to score just like other sports.” 

The Mavs have a good opportunity to showcase who they are on the course as Adams Pointe Golf Course plays into a lot of the Maverick’s skill sets. Right off the bat, the first hole is a dog leg to the left. MSU is bringing a few lefties to the course that will bring the ball right to left to close out the hole with ease. 

The team’s main strength is hitting the ball far. Schmitz highlighted that on par fives the team will play aggressively. They will hammer in on the ball, hoping to get themselves in range to hit wedge shots to eliminate the use of long irons. 

“You make the game shorter, it becomes easier,” said Schmitz. 

Through these strengths, they will still be practicing one thing in particular: staying patient on the course. 

“The one thing I want us to focus on more this spring is staying patient,” said Schmitz. “The more you’re patient on the golf course, the better you are and the more good things will happen.”

This tournament will give the Mavericks an even better understanding of the course and what it will take to beat the rival teams of the NSIC in the conference tournament a month from now. The golf program has a new facility with two golf simulators and a complex putting green. These new additions have helped them score their season-low score of 291 at the Maverick Desert Classic and will help them sharpen their skills for their upcoming competitions.

Write to Luke Jackson at Luke.Jackson.2@mnsu.edu

Header Photo: The MSU Men’s Golf team prepares for the NSIC Preview event next week Monday, March 27 and Tuesday, March 28. (File photo)